Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 130

rUV With HAL rsl 'VO 3 J3 Hitchcock Stays Calm Hollywood Among those vvho got trapped into expanding half-hour shows to ulj hours isAlfred Hitchcock, and it has hurt him just as it has "Gunsmoke" and Red Skelton. Filming or taping an hour each week is tougher than doing a half hour, despite all Df the brave quotes from TV people to the contrary. In Hitchcock's case, his production company has had to sacrifice much of the humor and suspense usually prevalent in the 30-minute series seen on TV the past seven seasons. I I I -U 1 POPS, JAZZ ON DINAH'S SPECIAL Music born on American soil and stemming from the soul of American people in the pops, jazz, folk "and gospel idioms will be perfoimedby some of its chief exponents on the third "Dinah Shore Show" special color broadcast of the season tonight (Channels 4, 3, 10 p.m.). Dinah's guests for a full-hour concert of "representative American music" will be Gerry Mulligan's jazzquartet with Ben Webster, folksingers Bud and Travis, Bessie Griffin and the Gospel Pearls and, as previously announced special guest Frank Sinatra.

Dinah and Frank, two of the country's leading interpreters of "popular" American music, will explore individually and in duets the field of rhythm andomantic ballads, blues and "swingihgTazzT Gerry Mulligan's group with Ben Webster will take flight into 'cool" oiprogressive jazz: Folksinging duo Bud and Travis will perform song-stories that were expressions of loneliness, fear, happiness and love created by early American settlers. Bessie Griffin and the Gospel Pearls will "praise God" with old and modern gospel hymns characterized by. foot-stomping, hand cl a i fervor. HUMPHREY Even Hitchcock's own little comedy vignettes, used so effectively to introduce the half hour and its middle commercial, lose their luster among the plethora of commercials inserted during the hour show. Hitchcock- himself- is-not-complaining about the new format at least not pub-' licly.

In fact, he appears to be the most unruffled man on the creative side of TV today. "Hour shows increasing in TV is like the trend toward longer movies, isn't it? Everybody is doing he-says philosophically. He reports, however, that SONGS FOR SWINGERS Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra explore the fields of rhythm and romantic ballads, blues and. "swinging" jazz on Dinah's third special of the season tonight (channels Jit a Wa- tug A Mmmmmk 4, 3, 10 p.m.). Dinah's other guests include Gerry.

Mulligan's jazz quartet and Bessie Griffin and the Gospel Pearls. Sullivan Introduced Stars to Television Victor Borge, Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Lana Turner are among the many stars who made their television debuts on "The Ed Sullivan Show." ADVERTISEMENT MIRACLE EAR HEARING AID that' fits in the cavity of the human ear If you cm hr but hav difficulty mad. ing out words, then this i your answer. Oakland, Calif, (Special) A new invention of modern electron-'-ics has perfected 3 powerful aid so tiny that it fits into the ear cavity. Absolutely nothing outside, the ear.

It hos no cords, no tubes no buttons. It interested for yourself or a friend, write Tribune Box AMI 7384, Oakland. Calil. ALFRED HITCHCOCK Trapped by sponsors? he and his staff must read 100 scripts now to find one that is usable, whereas the ratio was 50 to 1 for a half-hour script. "One sometimes doubts if there are enough story sources to keep things going on TV," says Hitchcock.

"We read everything, including magazines. Maybe there are six stories of 1,000 in the latter which we could use." Hitchcock already has thought of upping his budget for writers, but sponsor and network pressure to get "name" stars for each show takes up too much of the over-all budget. Being in the suspense and tmillei hide oi, atory telling also presents handicaps, Hitchcock points out. "One has to excite the emotions of people who already are excited with the news headlines of the day," he says, "so it does no good to be topical. I've been fighting all my life to stay ahead of headlines." If Hitchcock was ever tempted, say, to do a story-on a.

Latin dictator secretly equipping missile bases aimed at the United States, he would put the idea out of his head immediately. 1 "That would be getting into an area whicrrbelongs to the government. Why embarrass them?" Anyway, as he said, it is difficult to excite emotions which already have been strained to a breaking point by a real event. It would be tough now, to do a piece of suspense on Khrushchev and Castro which topped the Cuban crisis we lived through during those first 48 hours after the blockade was. announced.

This same competition of crisis-laden headlines might explain why hour drama series seem to be losing out recently to the half-hour comedy shows on TV. The viewer may feel too itchy and restless for two or three hours of heavy drama, most of it less exciting than the front page of his newspaper. But he will settle for two or three half-hour comedies, which may give him a laugh or two and a diversion from the grim reality of those same headlines. Hitchcock's next movie (to be released in April) is titled "The Birds," and it is all about a menacing bird population taking over us humans. It sounds wild, doesn't it? But, as the master of thrillers has learned, he must find ways to top the excitement of a world playing brinksmanship with'nuclear bombs.

MSB 1 His present TV contract with CBS calls for 64 of the 60-minute dramas currently being seen. By Hitchcock's own estimate, this means 6,400 scripts will pass through his staffs hands before the 64 are found. Then, of course, he must get those 64 QK'd by the sponsors and CBS, and Hitchcock admits, "We always are fighting the front office." It'saAonderthjsLondon-born producer still retains his British aplomb. Copyright, mi, TImet-Mlrror Syndicate 41 It).